The Sword Today...
Today the sword is no longer used in combat. The last remaining memory of the sword on the battlefield is the bayonet, as pictured above, which even still is of very limited use to modern militaries. However, this does not mean that the sword is gone. Today, swords can be seen on flags and logos, as a part of military uniforms, in sport, in movies, and in the hands of reenactors. Despite of their replacement on the battlefield, swords will always remain a vital part of many of many cultures and their histories.
The following video clips show examples various modern sword sports. The first here is Olympic sabre fencing. Olympic fencing is also done with foils, a type of smallsword, and the epee, which is a longer, rapier-like dueling sword (the action starts at 00:58). For more information on fencing, check out USA Fencing.
This second video shows the lightning fast skills of Japanese Kendo competitors, the far eastern equivalent of fencing.