Seeking Olympic gold? Wear red

Subconscious reaction may be what tips balance, study finds

Red-clad wrestler wins against blue-clad one at 2004 Olympics

Hasan Sarbakhshian / AP Photo

Rulon Gardner of the USA, right, won against Poland's Marek Mikulski during an elimination bout in men's Greco-Roman wrestling event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Scientists say the "red" effect is subtle, and is probably a deciding factor only among evenly matched competitors.

updated 2:00 p.m. ET May 18, 2005

A new study of Olympic athletes finds that those wearing red have an advantage over blue-suited competitors.

The reason may have to do with hard-wired perceptions in the human brain that date back to more animalistic times, researchers say.

In the study, scientists examined one-on-one sports in the 2004 Olympics in which competitors were randomly assigned red or blue outfits or protective gear. The events: boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.

Story continues below ↓

In 16 of 21 rounds there were more red-clad winners. Looked at a different way, red prevailed in 19 of 29 weight classes. The researchers are careful to point out that the effect is probably subtle, such that red can be a deciding factor only among evenly matched competitors.

"We find that wearing red is consistently associated with higher probability of winning," University of Durham researchers Russell Hill and Robert Barton write in the May 19 issue of the journal Nature.

Slide show: The Week in Sports Pictures
Oct. 3 - 9
Images from the baseball playoffs, NFL, college football, and more.
Hill and Barton also analyzed the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament, in which teams wore shirts of different colors in different matches. The preliminary results of that investigation suggest a similar advantage for red in team sports.

The scientists cite other studies that suggest red correlates to male dominance and testosterone levels in animals. And in humans, they note, "anger is associated with reddening of the skin due to increased blood flow, whereas fear is associated with increased pallor in similarly threatening situations."

Perhaps athletes have a subconscious reaction to red that puts them at a disadvantage, the researchers contend. And they offer this advice: "The color of sportswear needs to be taken into account to ensure a level playing field in sport."