Competing for the Soviet Union, he was a five-time European and two-time Olympic medalist in this event.

His parents met at the Kyiv State Institute of Physical Education, where they both taught sports-related topics.

He holds a PhD and a title of Professor at the Department of Athletics, Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture.

His pupils included Ineta Radēviča, Valery Podluzhny, Vilma Bardauskienė and Tatyana Kolpakova.

In February 2017, Ter-Ovanesyan held a press conference in Moscow, during which he said that East German successes due to state-sponsored doping are legitimate results of "good pharmacology" and should not be condemned.

[6] On the eve of the Rome Olympics, athlete Dave Sime of the USA was approached by the Central Intelligence Agency and recruited to help secure Ter-Ovanesyan's defection.