Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes is generally caused by inherited 
cardiac disorders. While these events are relatively few compared to other 
cardiac deaths, they are tragic in that death occurs in a young, otherwise 
healthy person. The genetic abnormalities most associated with SCD are 
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, 
long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and catecholaminergic polymorphic 
ventricular tachycardia. As a result of growing awareness that these deaths can 
be prevented, guidelines have been issued in both Europe and the United States 
to help screen and determine qualification for young persons who want to 
participate in competitive athletics. There remains debate on the how extensive 
screening should be, in particular over the use of the 12-lead electrocardiogram 
(ECG), with European guidelines mandating ECG and United States guidelines not 
recommending routine use of the ECG.