Paulo Wanderley Teixeira was born in Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte, but lived most of his life in Vitória, Espírito Santo, where he graduated in Physical Education from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. He was the coach responsible for judoka Rogério Sampaio's gold medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and for the bronze at the World Championships in Hamilton, Canada, in 1993.

Since October 2017, Paulo Wanderley has been the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and has implemented several measures based on pillars such as austerity, meritocracy, transparency, competence, and excellence. His management has modernized the organization and led Brazilian sports to their best results in history at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, and South American Games.