Article by David Marinescu – Published on Thursday, 01 January 2026, 11:46 / Updated on Thursday, 01 January 2026 11:50
Every New Year's Eve, the topic of fireworks and pyrotechnic materials that scare small animals returns to the public debate. The sports world reacted on this topic.
It is scientifically proven that cats, dogs and other animals are affected by loud noises on New Year's Eve. The 190 decibels emitted by fireworks can cause hearing loss in animals or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Repeated exposure to such material increases stress and can cause phobias among non-speakers.
Local administrations in big cities such as Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Iaşi, Braşov and Ploiesti gave up fireworks and opted for more animal-friendly options, laser shows.
The sports world is reacting against fireworks
Even though the local administrations decided, sporadically, to give up fireworks, the sky was lit up by thousands of pyrotechnic objects from private parties.
The sports world has taken a stand in this regard. A tough message was sent by Cosmin Petrescu, sports commentator specialist in basketball, “the voice of the NBA in Romania” in recent years and MC at CSM Bucharest matches.
The first unpopular and obviously subjective opinion on 2026. If you had donated the money you spent on fireworks to animal shelters, associations that took care of orphaned children or lonely old people in nursing homes, there wasn't much difference, but it was definitely better for a few souls. The fact that in 2025 the most advanced species on the planet has the crazy pleasure of seeing a fire in the sky making noise seems to me enough to keep other, theoretically more advanced civilizations from contacting us. Happy Birthday!
– Cosmin Petrescu
And Daria Michalak, the winger of Danube Brăila, shared a message on this subject.
“Before you launch the fireworks, think about them!”, a wrote the Polish handball player in the description of a clip in which dozens of animals run scared from the fireworks.
