In boxing, taekwondo, and wrestling, athletes are randomly assigned either red or blue sports attire. If the colour had no effect, the proportion of winners wearing red would be roughly equal to those wearing blue. Research dating back to 2005 suggests that wearing red may be linked to a higher likelihood of winning in Olympic combat sports, particularly in closely contested bouts. However, this red advantage hypothesis has not been systematically tested across multiple tournaments, as social psychologist Leonard Peperkoorn notes. To address this gap, he and his colleagues analysed 6,589 contest outcomes from seven Summer Olympic Games and nine World Boxing Championships. Using advanced data analysis techniques, the team examined whether wearing red truly offers a statistical advantage. The findings of this study are published in Scientific Reports.
Awareness
"When we focus on close contests—those with a narrow points difference—we do find an advantage for red attire in competitions up to 2005", says Peperkoorn. In these contests, 56% of the victories were claimed by athletes wearing red. It was in 2005 that researchers first noticed a potential advantage associated with wearing red. "That's why we examined the effect both before and after this awareness emerged", Peperkoorn explains.
Across all competitions from the 1996 to the 2020 Olympic Games, athletes in red won 50.5% of the time. "Over this extended period, we did not find a statistically significant effect for wearing red", reports Peperkoorn. "Even in close contests, the difference wasn't large enough to be considered significant—athletes in red won 51.5% of the time."
Rule changes
But why has the red advantage disappeared over time? Peperkoorn points to rule changes as a potential factor. "The advantage has likely faded due to changes in tournament rules. In the past, referees played a larger role in assigning points. Today, scoring is increasingly supported by technology, and the clarification of rules leaves less room for interpretation in awarding points." As a result, combat sports are increasingly able to offer a level playing field.