{{Short description|Italian basketball player (born 1961)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Ario Costa | nickname = | image = | image_size = | caption = | width = | height = 2.11 m | weight_lb = | league = LBA | team = Victoria Libertas Pesaro | team_link = | position = President | career_position = Center | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1961|09|26}} | birth_place = Cogorno, Liguria, Italy | nationality = Italian | high_school = | college = | draft_year = | career_start = 1977 | career_end = 1997 | years1 = 1977–1984 | team1 = Basket Brescia | years2 = 1981–1991 | team2 = Italy | years3 = 1984–1996 | team3 = Victoria Libertas Pesaro | years4 = 1996–1997 | team4 = Fabriano Basket | highlights = '''As player:''' *2× Italian League champion (1988, 1990) *2× Italian Cup champion (1985, 1992) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's basketball}} {{MedalCountry | {{ITA}} }} {{MedalCompetition|EuroBasket}} {{MedalGold| 1983 France | Italy}} {{MedalBronze| 1985 West Germany | Italy}} {{MedalSilver| 1991 Italy | Italy}} {{MedalCompetition|Mediterranean Games}} {{MedalSilver| 1983 Casablanca | Italy}} }} '''Ario Costa''' (born 26 September 1961) is an Italian retired basketball player of Basket Brescia, Victoria Libertas Pesaro and Fabriano Basket, and the current president of Victoria Libertas Pesaro since 2013.
==Professional career== ===Player career=== Ario Costa started his professional career with Basket Brescia in 1977. After many years in Brescia he went to Scavolini Pesaro where he became immediately a symbol for the team. With Pesaro he won two Italian League ''Scudetti'', the first in 1988 and the other in 1990, and two Italian Cups, in 1985 and 1992.
He retired from the parquet at the end of the 90s.
===The new role=== Ario Costa has been engaged as general manager, at first in Pesaro, and later with Fabriano Basket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isolabasket.it/archivio/?op=show&n=7438 |title=Costa (Fabriano) fa il punto della situazione |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=17 September 2003 |website=isolabasket.it |language=Italian |trans-title=Costa (Fabriano) takes stock of the situation |access-date=19 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220011212/http://www.isolabasket.it/archivio/?op=show&n=7438 |archive-date=20 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2006 he should go to Scafati, but disagreements with the president of the Campania team, he broke the contract prematurely. Subsequently, he signed a contract as sports director for Lottomatica Roma.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legabasket.it/news/67292/lottomatica_roma__ario_costa_nuovo_direttore_sportivo |title=Lottomatica Roma: Ario Costa nuovo Direttore Sportivo |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=4 July 2006 |website=Legabasket.it |language=Italian |trans-title=Lottomatica Roma: Ario Costa new Sports Director |access-date=19 February 2017 |archive-date=20 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220092314/http://www.legabasket.it/news/67292/lottomatica_roma__ario_costa_nuovo_direttore_sportivo |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On 18 June 2007 he became the new general manager of Eldo Napoli.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuttonapoli.net/tutto-basket/eldo-napoli-ario-costa-nuovo-general-manager-20700 |title=Basket: Eldo Napoli: Ario Costa nuovo general manager |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=16 June 2007 |website=tuttonapoli.net |language=Italian |trans-title=Eldo Napoli: Ario Costa new GM}}</ref>
After the ouster of Eldo Napoli from Serie A, at the beginning of the 2008–09 season he became general manager of Juvi Basket Cremona, in Serie C Gold, and later of Triboldi Cremona, in Serie A.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportando.com/it/italia/serie-a/2831/triboldi-il-nuovo-organigramma-societario.html |title=Triboldi, il nuovo organigramma societario |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=18 June 2009 |website=sportando.com |language=Italian |trans-title=Triboldi, the new organization chart}}</ref>
During summer of 2010, Ario Costa became general manager of Basket Brescia Leonessa. In August 2012 he went to Fulgor Libertas Forlì.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.giornaledibrescia.it/sport/basket-ario-costa-d%C3%A0-l-addio-a-brescia-1.1301885 |title=Basket: Ario Costa dà l'addio a Brescia |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=31 July 2012 |website=giornaledibrescia.it |language=Italian |trans-title=Basketball: Ario Costa says goodbye to Brescia}}</ref>
In 2013 he returned to his team Victoria Libertas Pesaro as president of the club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.romagnanoi.it/news/basket/1188269/Ario-Costa-lascia-la-FulgorLibertas.html |title=Ario Costa lascia la FulgorLibertas |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=29 May 2013 |website=romagnanoi.it |language=Italian |trans-title=Ario Costa leaves FulgorLibertas}}</ref>
==Honours== ===Team=== *'''Serie A champion (2)''': 1988, 1990 *'''Italian Cup winner (2)''': 1985, 1992
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.victorialibertas.it/index.php/societa/organigramma Victoria Libertas official website] *[http://web.legabasket.it/player/?id=COS-ARI Ario Costa] at legabasket.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Ario}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Competitors at the 1983 Mediterranean Games Category:Fabriano Basket players Category:Italian men's basketball players Category:Lega Basket Serie A players Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Category:Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Italy Category:Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players Category:1986 FIBA World Championship players Category:Sportspeople from the Province of Genoa Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen