This article is a report of an international symposium, endorsed by the Section on Sports Cardiology of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, the Italian Society of Sports Cardiology, and the Italian Federation of Sports Medicine, which was held within the 11th International Workshop on Cardiac Arrhythmias (Venice Arrhythmias 2009, Venice, Italy, October 2009). The following main topics were discussed during the symposium: the role of novel diagnostic examinations to assess the risk of sudden death in athletes, controversies on arrhythmic risk evaluation in athletes, controversies on the relationship between sports and arrhythmias, and controversies on antiarrhythmic treatment in athletes.