Sure bet: Take the taekwondo fighter wearing red protective gear
August 17, 2008
Comments on this story
If you are betting on taekwondo, you should consider the colour of each fighter's protective gear. A German study has found that referees consistently favour the fighter wearing red. They are not sure why.
In Olympic taekwondo, one foe wears a blue helmet and chest protector, the other red gear.
The study, published in the August issue of Psychological Science, involved 42 experienced taekwondo referees. Researchers presented them with video excerpts from sparring rounds of five pairs of male competitors of similar abilities and asked them to referee the matches. The referees awarded competitors wearing red an average of 13 per cent more points.
The clips were digitally altered, reversing the colours, and the officials again gave more points to the fighters wearing red.
New York Times
Toronto Star