A group that includes famed Japanese architects Fumihiko Maki and Kengo Kuma on Wednesday launched a campaign seeking inclusion of gymnasium facilities used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list.

The group of architects aims to have the two buildings in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward that make up the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, and their surroundings, listed as world heritage sites before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, for which the facility will be used as one of the venues.

"I still remember being overwhelmed by the facility when I first saw it at the time of the last (Tokyo) Olympics," said Kuma, the designer of the new National Stadium — the main venue for the 2020 Games.