Chariot racing in the Byzantine Empire also included the Roman racing clubs, which continued to play a prominent role in these public exhibitions. By this time, the Blues ("Vénetoi") and the Greens ("Prásinoi") had come to overshadow the other two factions of the Whites ("Leukoí") and Reds ("Roúsioi"), while still maintaining the paired alliances, although these were now fixed as Blue and White vs. Green and Red. These circus factions were no longer the private businesses they were during the Roman Empire. Instead, the races began to be given regular, public funding, putting them under imperial control. Running the chariot races at public expense was probably a cost-cutting and labor-reducing measure, making it easier to channel the proper funds into the racing organizations. The Emperor himself belonged to one of the four factions and supported the interests of either the Blues or the Greens.