Many amateur French sports clubs are struggling to cope with a boom of new participants sparked by the Paris Olympics.

"We're a bit overwhelmed," said Catherine Groc, president of a fencing club in the trendy Marais district of the French capital. "It's been 10 days now that I've been turning people away."

She says around 50 people came to try out the sport during two separate beginners' sessions organized this month, meaning she expects to end up with around 30% more fencers compared with last year.