RIGHT SPEAK: It Costs U.S. Olympic Medalists to Bring Home the Gold, Silver, or Bronze

An athlete who wins gold at the 2014 Olympic Games under way in Sochi, Russia, stands in line to pay $10,000 to Uncle Sam.

The U.S. Olympic Commission awards cash prizes to Olympians who win a medal -- $25,000 for a gold, $15,000 for a silver and $10,000 for a bronze. But the money is considered earned income abroad and subject to IRS taxation.

“The only thing colder than the slopes at Sochi is the fact that any prizes awarded by the USOC will be taxed,” writes the group Americans for Tax Reform, which has calculated the federal tax that medal winners could face.

The group also argues the United States is one of only a handful of developed countries that taxes such income, which means other Olympic competitors will likely not have to pay such taxes.

“The U.S. has officially ‘earned the gold’ for having one of the most backward and illogical tax codes in the world,” the group said.

The marginal-income tax bracket into which an Olympian falls would decide how much he or she must pay. And the amounts do not take into account income taxes owed in most states.

U.S. stars such as snowboarder Shaun White, a former gold medalist with a signature clothing line, or alpine skier Bode Miller, a five-time Olympic gold medalist who is reportedly worth millions, are in the top 39.6 percent tax bracket. So they could pay as much as $9,900 should they repeat gold this month.