Atle Skaardal and Markus Waldner feel the Alpine Team Event will be a highlight of Pyeongchang 2018 ©FIS

The new Alpine skiing team event should be a highlight of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, according to International Ski Federation (FIS) race directors.

Atle Skaardal, who directs the women's FIS World Cup tour, and men's counterpart Markus Waldner, gave an interview to the website of the governing body.

The World Cup circuit will be interrupted by the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea in February, with the team event making its Winter Olympic debut in the Asian nation. 

The Alpine team event will make its Olympic debut at Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images
The Alpine team event will make its Olympic debut at Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images

It features two male and two female skiers competing in parallel races, with each country securing a point for a race win.

A 2-2 draw will result in the country with the lowest combined time progressing.

Nations will compete in a straight knock-out format before the final.

"The anticipation for the Alpine Team Event debut is big," said Skaardal.

"An arena has been built specifically for this event and I think it will be one of the highlights of the Olympics, concluding the two competition weeks in a fantastic way."

Waldner added: "The first ever Olympic Alpine team event promises to be very exciting. 

"This discipline is now well established and proved to be very interesting, as the outcome is wide open, with smaller nations being able to grab medals."