The festival is being organised by Martin Fourcade and ALYANSKI ©Getty Images

A total of 48 athletes, who have won a combined 28 Olympic and 42 world titles, have accepted an invitation to compete at the first Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival in Annecy.

The event, being organised by the five-times Olympic gold medallist and 11-times world champion and French company ALYANSKI, is due to take place from August 31 to September 1.

Fourcade will be joined on the start line for the rollerski biathlon event by the likes of Norway's Johannes Thingnes Bø, who claimed four gold medals at this year's World Championships as well as the overall World Cup title.

Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Simon Desthieux will be among the French contingent in the race, while 2017 world champion and double Olympic medallist Benedikt Doll of Germany is also set to compete.

In the women's race, overall World Cup champion Dorothea Wierer of Italian and compatriot Lisa Vittozzi will be aiming to take their form into the one-off race.

Norway's Petter Northug, who retired last year, will be among those competing in the men's rollerski sprint event ©Getty Images
Norway's Petter Northug, who retired last year, will be among those competing in the men's rollerski sprint event ©Getty Images

Kaisa Mäkäräinen of Finland and France's Justine Braisaz have also entered the event.

The men's and women's rollerski sprint competitions have attracted a stellar field of athletes.

Norway's retired star Petter Northug, considered among the greatest cross-country skiers of all time, and Italian Federico Pellegrino headline the entries for the men's event.

Krista Pärmäkoski of Finland, a four-times Olympic medallist, and World Championships team sprint silver medallist Katja Visnar of Slovenia could be in contention in the women's race.

According to organisers, more than 10,000 spectators are expected to attend over the course of the weekend.