Thirty-six years ago today, on February 26, 1989 (January 21, 1989 lunar calendar), the World Bridge Federation awarded Deng Xiaoping its highest honor, the Gold Medal. Deng Xiaoping at the Bridge Table On February 26, 1989, Deng Xiaoping, the honorary chairperson of the China Bridge Association, became the first person to receive the Gold Medal of Honor from the World Bridge Federation. At the Executive Committee of the World Bridge Federation held in Italy in October 1988, it was decided to establish a special award, the Gold Medal of Honor, to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the World Bridge Movement, and unanimously agreed to award the first Gold Medal to Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping fell in love with bridge during the war years, and he has not stopped for many years since then. He believes that playing bridge can exercise the brain and improve thinking ability. Mr. Dennis Howard, President of the World Bridge Federation, said at the award ceremony: "Today is an extraordinary day for the World Bridge Federation because we award a great person." He said that the World Bridge Federation currently has 83 members, 700,000 registered players, and more than 50 million people in the world love bridge sports. On June 4, 1993, Bobby Wolf, President of the World Bridge Federation, and Yang Xiaoyan, Secretary General of the North American Bridge Federation, represented their respective federations here in Beijing and presented the World Champion Gold Medal Award and the Chairperson's Supreme Honorary Award to Deng Xiaoping, Honorary Chairperson of the China Bridge Association, and Wan Li, Honorary Chairperson, to thank them for their indelible contributions to promoting the development of bridge sports in China.